Massive corruption has rocked the Registrar General’s office’s birth certificate and national identification registration blitz that commenced in September last year and will end by January 31.

Investigations by Khuluma Afrika revealed that Provincial Registrars are employing ghost workers, then proceeding to claim allowances from the headquarters in Harare.

Sources said each province should have an 8-team delegation registering and issuing birth certificates and national identification cards ahead of this year’s general elections.

However provincial registrars only submitted requisitions for four members from the head office claiming that the other four would be seconded from the provinces.

In an interview with one official from Harare who had been deployed to Midlands, it has emerged that the other ‘four members’ were never assigned, with four men team member task force made to carry a load for eight people.

“We arrived in Midlands and we were told by the provincial registrar Agness Dambura that the other four members will join us in Gokwe,” the source said.

“We were shocked that we had to carryout the whole exercise without being joined by the others four officials.”

The source also said they were later told that the remaining four people would no longer join them.

“What shocked us is that when allowances were being claimed there were additional four names of people who never participated in the exercise.”

Investigations revealed that the officers are being paid $30 per day for 30 days as allowances.

“We work six days per week which translates to $180 per person for a week. This means the registrar is getting $2 880 per month for the four ghost workers.”

The source said by January 31 the provincial registrar would have pocketed $14 400.

“This is not only happening in Midlands but we also have reports of the same issues from other provinces as well. We received a report from Mashonaland Central province where officials who had been posted to Guruve had to endure the whole month with little manpower.”

The source said they have since made a report to the Zimbabwe Anti Corruption Commission with hopes that such graft can be investigated and culprits brought to book.